Gurkha killed in Basra ambush

10:39AM BST 10 Aug 2003

A Nepalese Gurkha security officer has been shot dead in an ambush by Iraqi gunmen in central Basra, a spokesman for southern Iraq's British-run administration has said.

The dead man, who worked for the private security contractor Global Security, was in a vehicle that had been delivering mail for the United Nations. Retired Nepalese Gurkhas are widely employed by security firms in Iraq.

Hundreds of young men barricaded roads in the second city with blazing tyres and hurled chunks of concrete at passing cars in protest at power and fuel shortages in the city of Basra.. British tanks patrolled the streets and armoured vehicles guarded petrol stations where increasingly frustrated drivers queued for hours in the heat.

As temperatures in Basra rose above 50C, fridges and air conditioners have stopped working and households are running low on diesel to power their generators.

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Protesters criticised British forces for failing to restore basic services to pre-war levels and accused Kuwaitis of involvement in smuggling out cheap Iraqi oil. Hassan Jasim, a student, said: "They did not give us what they promised and we have had enough of waiting."

On Saturday, British troops stationed in the southern city donned riot gear and used baton rounds to disperse angry protesters. Several British soldiers were slightly injured.